Process of making formates.



5 trich-on-the-Rhine, Germany, have invented UNITED 's'rA'rEs PA ENT orrron JULIUS wnrsn rainnnron misuse,

AND ADOLF EARTH, or OESTRICH iON-THE-RHTNE, GERMANY, ASSIGN ORS TO THE FIRM OF RUDOLPH KOEPP &'- CO, OF OESTRICH-ON-THE-RHINE, GERMANY.

PRocEss- F MAKINGFORMATES.

No. 820,374.. Original application filed April 1, 1904, Serial No. 202.661.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JULIUS Wn1sn,Fnmn- Bron Rr'nonn, and ADOLF BAnrn, subjects of the German Emperor, and residents of Gascertain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Formates, of which the following is a specification. Y

. In our application for a United States Pat- IO ent of April 1, 1904, Serial No. 202,661, we have described a process of manufacturing formates from carbon monoxid and caustic alkali. In a divisional application formed of the original specification of the above applica- I tion and filed at the same time as the present second divisional application we have described a similar process in which the alkalies of the first process are replaced by alkaline earths. As stated in these two applications,

2 o the process requires a sufficient quantity of water, atemperature above 100 centigrade, and

a most intimate mixin of the agents for procuring and expediting t e reaction, Our further experiments have shown that under these 2 5 circumstances the carbon monoxid can also act upon carbonates of alkalies in the manner that formates of alkalies are produced and carbonic acid is expelled. The great afiinityof carbon monoxi-d to superheated water, which we have first discovered, causes the intermediary formation of free formic acid, which is capable of'expelling weaker acids from compounds of alkalies and of combining with the alkali. thus freed. Already in 1856 Berthelot (see annales cle Uh'imte et de Physique, Se-

ries 3, volume 46, page 480) has shown, it is true, that carbon monoxid reacts upon moist alkali carbonates; but he used a cucurbit of glass and a temperature of 220 centi rade,

0 which proves that he used only so muc wa= ter for moistening his composition as was required for insuring the reaction (l ,CO

- 2C0 H O ZHCOOK C0,) and entering the molecule of the formate, as otherwise he might have expected an overpressure of twenty and more atmospheres, which of course the glass cucurbit would not withstand. Thus it is evident that he did not employ an aqueous solution and also did not 30 heat the same beyond the boiling-point. The

Specification of Letters Patent.

Divided and this application filed March 15, 1905. Serial No. 250,698.

- Patented May- 8, 1906.

mg a few per cent. of his carbonate within from ten tofifteen hours.

Our invention relates to a process similar -to those described in the above said two applications, in which the alkalies and the alkaline earths and salts of alkalies, respectively, are replaced by carbonates of alkalies.

Our process consists in making an aqueous solution of the alkali carbonate, heatin the solution beyond the boiling-point in a c osed vessel, admitting carbon monoxid, and causing'the two agents to act upon each other while under agitation or in a finel -divided state.

vices or nozzles, or it may thin layers, and the gas may the vessel in afinely-divided state/ The new improved process may be carried out in various manners.

result it is important and necessary that the the temperature be maintained above 100 centigrade', and that the agents (a gas and a liquid) be most finely divided and intimately mixed.

If instead of pure carbon monoxid, a mixused, these latter gases are blown off during the operation through a suitable valve.

The operation proceeds more slowly with the carbonates of alkalies than in the process described in the above said first application, unless the temperature be correspondingly raised, to which there is no objection, decomposition takes place even at 250 cen' best proof for this assertion is the result at-v tra ned by him. He only succeeded in changl tigrade when water is used as herein described.

The rapidity of the reaction increases pro-' the liquid may be atomized by stirring debe, distributed in be blown into I For attaining the ture of the latter with other gases may be.

for no In order that the operation may that the liquid and gas should be in intimate T water be presentin a sufficient quantity, that out the process.

Iii-opposition to the above-mentioned result attained by Berthelot our process Will easily change the Whole quantity into a for mate ithin fromtwo to three hours.

Belowvwe give a few examples for carrying Example I: A solution of sodium carbonate of 30 B'au'm 'is allowed totrickle oncoke in a closed vessel at a temperature oiv 220- centigrade, and heated carbon monoxid is suppliedthereto for about two hours The intermediate product which forms-namely, formic aciddisplaces the carbon dioxid from the carbonate, which carbon dioX-id. is allowed to escape from time to time by lifting a Valve;

ExampleII: A solution of sodium carbonate ofiO Baum is most intimately mixed I with carbon monoxidnin a closed vessel provided with an agitator at a temperature of preferably above '200- centigrade. The formed. carbon dioxjid is allowed to escape from time to time. After 'about tWo hours the theoretical output of sodium formate Will be obtained.

' What We claim as our invention; and d e-' sire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1 1. The herein-described process of manufac'turing formates, which consists in making an aqueous solution of an alfialiearbonate.

perature in a c osed essel, admittingthereto heating'the a ueou's solution to .a high tenicarbon monoixirh and by agitation causing" the tWo agents to act upon. each other.

2. The herein-described process of manuheating the aqueous solution to a temperature above the boiling-point in a closed vessel, admitting thereto carbon monoxid, and

. facturing formates, which consists. in making *an aqueous solution of analkali carbonate,

by agitation causing the two-agents to act 1 upon each-other. I I I 3. The herein-described-process of manufacturing formates, which consists in making an aqueous solution of sodium carbonate,

heating the solution to a high temperature in a closed vessel, admitting thereto carbon monoxid, and by agitation causing the two agents to'act upon each other.

- In testimony whereof we have signed our names tothis specification in the presence of 

